Madarasi Marhajárás

Area: 44 ha

Legal declaration by Decree No. 36/2018. AM

Biogeographic region: Upper Backa

Madarasi Marhajárás is the most important natural area of Upper Backa. This ancient grassland is one of the few large and continuous meadow-steppes of the Great Hungarian Plain; thus it has a high conservation value. The botanical values of the area have been known among botanists for long. The most important natural values are near-natural grassland ecosystems, including loess steppes, transitional vegetation types between sand steppes and loess steppes, and swamp meadow fragments.

Several protected plant and animal species occur in the area; the most important ones are Spring Pheasant’s Eye, Silene multiflora, Crocus reticulatus, Ranunculus illyricus, Taraxacum serotinum, Acrida hungarica, Mammoth Wasp, European Pond Turtle, European Scops Owl, Eurasian Hoopoe, European Bee-eater, European Roller, Lesser Grey Shrike, Long-eared Owl and Tawny Pipit.

Besides the protection of landscape values and rare species, it is also among our aims to preserve and promote the cultural values of traditional grazing, animal husbandry and land use types. We also intend to maintain optimal conditions for some vertebrate species of conservation importance (e.g. Lesser Mole-rat and Ground Squirrel) that used to inhabit in the region with great probability, but presently do not occur. Keeping the area suitable for them increases the chance for successful recolonization in the future.